Marina Bay
Marina Bay is a bay near Central Area in the southern part of Singapore, and lies to the east of the Downtown Core. History In 1969, land reclamation work to create 360 hectares of prime waterfront site began at Marina Bay. The reclaimed land forms what is today the Marina Centre and Marina South areas, and the reclamation work was completed in 1992. In the reclamation process, Telok Ayer Basin and Inner Roads was removed from the map by reclaiming land, while the Singapore River's mouth now flows into the bay instead of directly into the sea. The long term visions for the Marina Bay area was first articulated in the 1983 Master Plan by the URA, with the waterfront areas being deliberately kept open to the public. In 1988, the draft plan for Marina Bay was presented to the public in a two-week exhibition where it set out the objectives for the development, among which are optimising the waterfront location and creating a distinctive image with international landmarks that could become a focal point for the city. The Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) master plan in 2003 for the Downtown @ Marina Bay aims to make Singapore's international business and financial hub a distinctive and global location for business, living, working and leisure. The new Downtown @ Marina Bay extends Singapore's Central Business District seamlessly around the bay from Raffles Place, Shenton Way and Marina Bay. The area around the Marina Bay is earmarked for the expansion of the existing CBD to strengthen Singapore's position as an international business and financial hub. The prime waterfront site linking Marina Bay and Central Linear Park has been earmarked for Business and Financial Centre (BFC) development. The site forms part of the extension from the Raffles Place together with the Finlayson Green Extension that was being constructed since 2000, together with Cross Street Extension. The sites already sold were One Raffles Quay and One Marina Boulevard, which is in the advanced stages of extension. The site will be a focal point for the Central district, as it links the surrounding developments, the waterfront promenade, the existing Raffles Place MRT Station and the future adjacent RTS Station. There will also be an underground mall that links several buildings along retail outlets. Planning for the Pickering Street Extension was being formed in 11 November 1997. The plan for the Downtown @ Marina Bay is part of the ongoing review by URA to ensure that the plans for the area respond to current business needs and development trends. It allows Singapore to continue to compete at a global level and provides flexibility for the future. Rail transit stations and hub car park stations (integrated within developments or formed by connecting car parks within adjacent buildings) will be integrated with developments. The first hub car park at One Raffles Quay will be completed by 2005 and will be connected to the adjacent developments by a 2nd storey travellator. Three distinctive sub-districts around Bayfront Avenue and the two main open spaces - Central Linear Park and Marina Station Square - will be created to provide a variety of development locations and amenities. These identity-creating open spaces will provide major frontages for developments, enhancing value for surrounding street blocks. They will be complemented by landscaped public spaces, boulevards and roof gardens. A primary street grid of east-west boulevards and north-south avenues will provide access to the area. The area will be connected to the existing CBD and the realigned Sheares Avenue, linking it to the islandwide road network. A new extension to McCallum Street will link future developments around the Central Linear Park. In the movie, Independence Day: Resurgence in 2015, Marina Bay was destroyed as an alien spacecraft. Events at Marina Bay The Formula One Singapore Grand Prix took place on 28 September 2008 on a street circuit through Marina Bay, staging at night with the track fully floodlit. Since its construction in 2007, The Float @ Marina Bay has hosted events such as the National Day Parade, New Year’s Eve Countdown, Singapore Fireworks Celebrations, as well as served as a spectator stand for the inaugural Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. The world’s largest floating stadium played host to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics The area also hosts the annual iLight @ Marina Bay, a sustainable light art festival which is the light show. Infrastructure Common Services Tunnel Singapore is the second Asian country after Japan to implement a comprehensive Common Services Tunnel system to distribute various utility services to all developments in Marina Bay. The network of purpose-built tunnels houses water pipes, electrical and telecommunication cables and other utility services underground. CST not only improves reliability of services supplies and allows easy maintenance and new installations, it also has 100% emergency backup services and the capacity for expansion to meet changing utility needs. Water management In 2004, the Public Utilities Board publicly announced plans to construct a new downtown reservoir by damming the Marina Channel. This barrage was completed in 2008. Known as the Marina Barrage, it turned Marina Bay and the Kallang Basin into a confined freshwater reservoir with limited access to marine transportation to regulate the water quality. The new reservoir provides another source of drinking water for Singapore, as well as a stable water level for a variety of water activities and events. The barrage will also prevent flooding in the Chinatown area. Transportation There are currently 7 rail stations: City Hall, Raffles Place, Marina Bay, Bayfront, Downtown, Esplanade and Promenade serving Marina Bay. By 2020, the 360 hectares Marina Bay will boast a comprehensive transport network as Singapore's most rail-connected district."5 MRT lines to Marina Bay". The Straits Times. 2010-05-24 http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_530577.html Retrieved 2010-06-03. The first three new MRT lines will open between 2012 and 2014. By 2018, the Marina Bay district will have more than six MRT stations, all no more than five minutes of each other. A comprehensive pedestrian network including shady sidewalks, covered walkways, underground and second-storey links will ensure all-weather protection and seamless connectivity between developments and MRT stations. Within greater Marina Bay, water taxis will even double up as an alternative mode of transportation. Central Linear Park Central Linear Park is a park that is in Shenton Way, Singapore. It was built in the reclaimed land. Marina East Marina East is located at East Coast Park, Singapore. It covers 140 hectares of reclaimed land. The NTUC Club Marina East Course which is a public golf course, is located here. Together, it will also have Thameslink section of the land. The access to the road was implemented since 2000 with the extension of Fort Road all the way to the jetty, and it was used as a staging ground besides Changi and Tuas. The staging ground was further revamped with the new Marina East Drive in 2013. Other places of interest Gardens by the Bay The 101-hectare Gardens by the Bay site is made up of Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden, and Bay Central Garden across the mouth of the Singapore River. All three gardens will be interconnected via a series of pedestrian bridges to form a larger loop along the whole waterfront and linked to surrounding developments, open public spaces, transport nodes and attractions. Marina Bay City Gallery Completed in July 2010, the Marina Bay City Gallery is an eco-friendly building by the waterfront promenade along Marina Boulevard. The gallery showcases a large-scale model of Marina Bay. Waterfront Promenade A 3.5 km waterfront promenade linking the attractions at the Marina Centre, Collyer Quay and Bayfront areas was completed in 2010. Key developments * ArtScience Museum * Asia Square Tower 1 (2011) Tower 2 (2013) * Bayfront Bridge * Circle Line Extension * Downtown MRT Line * Clifford Pier * Common Services Tunnel * Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay * F1 Pit Building * Gardens by the Bay * ITE College South * Marina Bay Street Circuit * The Fullerton Heritage Precinct: Customs House, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Fullerton Waterboat House, One Fullerton, Fullerton Bay Hotel * The Helix Bridge * Marina Barrage * Marina Bay Cruise Terminal * Marina Bay Golf Course * Marina Bay Financial Centre * Marina Bay Sands * Marina Coastal Expressway (2013) * Marina Bay Suites (2013) * Marina Bay Link Mall (2010) * Marina South Pier * Marina South Pier MRT Station * Millenia Walk * One Marina Boulevard * One Raffles Quay * One Shenton Way * OUE Bayfront * The Float at Marina Bay * The Lawn @ Marina Bay * The Promontory @ Marina Bay (formerly Central Promontory Site) * The Sail @ Marina Bay * Singapore Flyer * Suntec City * Youth Olympic Park Politics '''Marina Bay SMC '''is a single member constituency that exists in 2011 to present time, which encompasses the ITE College South, Marina Bay Sands, Marina South Pier and Gardens by the Bay. See also * Downtown Core * Future developments in Singapore * Marina Centre * Marina South References External links * Marina Bay Official Website * Marina Bay Facebook Page * Urban Redevelopment Authority Official Website * Marina Bay Photo Gallery Category:Downtown Core (Singapore) Marina Bay Category:Places in Singapore Category:Bays of the Pacific Ocean